Well, first off, I really enjoyed this. (and now I've *seen* APCCGNN, 
too!) So -- here goes:

Facets of Love

by Richard Lawson

(snip)

"Flirt?"  Nuku Nuku accessed her cultural database. Flirt:  To behave 
amorously
without serious intent.  Amorous:  Inclined to love, especially sexual love.
Sexual:  having or involving sex.  Sex:  1) Either of two divisions of 
organisms distinguished respectively as male or female; 2) Sexual 
intercourse. Sexual Intercourse:  Ask Papa-san.

She focussed once more on Papa-san.  "What is sexual intercourse?"

this is a great part.  Actually, I like all the uses of the dictionary in 
this story.  Gives it a lot of thematic unity.

Nuku Nuku wondered whether to tell him that the garbage can was spitting 
flames, but figured he'd find out soon enough.  She turned and skipped out
of the room, anxious to join her friends.

This is another neat unifying thread (with the bit about the keyboard later)

The interface program read Nuku Nuku's embarrassment, accessed the cultural
databanks, and added pigmentation to the pseudoflesh of her cheeks.  She 
blushed.  She'd forgotten that her being a cyborg was supposed to be a 
secret.
She wondered for a while what to do.  She didn't want to lie - the very 
concept
of lying was difficult for her to grasp - but she also wanted to keep 
Papa-san's secret.  In the end, she decided to try and tell the truth in a
vague way.  "I've never gone to school before.  I've never had classmates
before - Papa-san taught me everything.  He sent me to high school so 
that I 
could learn social skills."  She tried a weak smile.  "I like people.  I 
want to learn more about them."

third good unifying detail: the lie -- you really do a good job of 
stringing together a story like this.

Nuku Nuku activated her extended sensors.  They would tie into all of her
available processors and scan the environment, providing her with a 

(snip)

The sensors also served as antennae.  She could send and receive data at
very high speeds.  It was the way Papa-san downloaded new programming to her
databanks.  She felt the data flooding into her, filling the empty spaces 
inside.  It was difficult to describe this feeling to anyone else, even 
Papa-san.  Somehow, her brain had adjusted to her external hardware to an
extent that it felt like part of her.

Once the download was complete, she retracted the sensors and began 
analyzing
the data.  It was quite confusing, and she had to run through it several 
times before it made any sense.

She looked at Papa-san.  "Yuck!"

I think cutting down the description of the sensors (which I snipped) 
might make this work better -- by the time you get to *what* Nuku-Nuku is 
downloading, you're still stuck a bit on the sensors, which aren't really 
being used in the way they're described in that first big paragraph.

Nuku Nuku looked at him, at the man who had saved her life and taken 
away her
future all in one stroke.  He looked anxious and worried.  She loved 
him, and didn't want to see him hurting like this.

She had a bit of a breakthrough.  She had to fight with her interface 
program.
It didn't want her to smile when she wasn't feeling happy.  She used her 
processors to recode a part of the interface and load it into memory.  
It was
a crude bypass, something she'd have to improve on later.  For now, it was
adequate.

It allowed her, for the first time in her life, to lie.

I like this section.

"Well..."  Mariko dragged out the word, apparently organizing her thoughts.
"We can start with a simple kiss."

You know, it may just be my sick mind, but this makes it sound like 
Mariko and Nuku-Nuku are going to start with a kiss.  You might want to 
make it "you" instead of "we"

"It's not a trick."  Nuku Nuku looked around.  She picked a pencil.  "See?"
She stabbed her hand with the pencil.  It broke in half, leaving her hand 
unmarked.  She frowned, looked once more at the desk, and picked up a 
pair of
scissors.  She stabbed her hand repeatedly, failing to do so much as scratch
herself.  She'd forgotten how tough her pseudoflesh was.  In the end, 
all she managed to do was bend the scissors in half.

She looked up at Mariko, intending to ask her if she had any power tools.

I love this part.


 

Nuku Nuku activated the bypass again.  "You go and play with Yoshi-chan, 
Ryunosuke.  I have some homework to do."  She smiled happily.

Ryunosuke glanced at her.  "Okay.  Let's go, Yoshi-chan."  He grabbed 
her hand and ran out of the room.

Nuku Nuku deactivated the bypass.  She was glad that she couldn't cry.  
She had a feeling she'd be bawling right now.

*sniff*

Kyusaku pulled the car up to the apartment.  He felt privileged; he had 
a car
again.  Another Land Rover.  He'd been reluctant to buy one, for fear 
that it
would meet the same fate as its predecessors.  After the incident with the
orbital laser, Akiko's attacks had been reduced considerably in intensity
and frequency.  Mostly a couple of buzzings with a hoverjet, that was all.  
Just to let Kyusaku know that she still cared.

cute.

He grabbed the groceries out of the back.  He was heartened to see 
Yoshimi and
Ryunosuke playing together.  They seemed to get along very well.  
Yoshimi was
a nice, bright girl.  She would make a wonderful wife for Ryunosuke.  Maybe
Kyu should contact her family and propose a formal engagement.  Arranged
marriages always worked out and never gave anyone any trouble.

Dear me.  No irony *here*, no, not at all.

Nuku Nuku looked away from the cat and down at her feet.  "I'm not a 
cat, not
anymore.  And I'm not a human.  I never will be.  I'm a catgirl, and that's
nothing, not even a word."

After all the focus on dictionaries earlier, this is especially poignant

"Never mind.  No, I don't think I'll be moving in with Papa-san.  Maybe not
for a long while."

"And maybe sooner than you think."

They both turned, startled.  Kyusaku stepped from the shadows behind 
Nuku Nuku.
He had a peculiar expression on his face, and was staring at Akiko.

Ah, back to the romance.  I like this.

"Well, remember the factors we programmed in.  It'll feel better when you're
pressing your lips against someone else's.  The more you like the other 
person,
the more your pleasure center gets stimulated.  Also, even the most 
passionate
kiss will only stimulate you so far.  He have to leave room for you to feel 
more pleasure in response to other stimuli."

Atsuko touched her lips again.  "Are you sure it's enough?"

"I've been experimenting."

Atsuko blinked.  "Experimenting?"

"Yes.  Two test subjects had electrodes attached as they experienced the 
full
range of sexual stimuli.  This experiment was run over the course of several
days so that we would have an adequate amount of data to extrapolate from."

Atsuko raised an eyebrow.  "You and Mama-san?"

Papa-san looked at her out of the corner of his eye.  "Two test subjects."

*snigger*

Mariko paused, then looked Nuku Nuku in the eye.  "Atsuko, you're happy,

(snip)

Mariko looked up again.  "I trust you, Atsuko.  It took me a while to 
realize
that.  When I did, it forced me to come to terms with what 'human' really 
means."

Mariko's speech seems a bit long-winded here -- maybe tighten it up a bit.

Kei managed to regain his composure.  "You look beautiful, Nuku Nuku."

She frowned slightly.  "If you would please, call me Atsuko.  Nuku Nuku is a
name you give your cat.  Atsuko is a human name."

This is especially effective given the shift in the narrator's naming 
from Nuku Nuku to Atsuko in this last section

She began to laugh for the sheer joy of it, and managed to spread it to 
those around her.

Sadly, I find this last sentence a bit weak.  It's the "managed to spread 
it" part -- somehow, it just doesn't have that "kick"

Anyhow -- overall, very neatly crafted, a pleasant read, and worth 
putting off my homework a bit longer.  Looking forward to more Nuku-Nuku 
from you!


bengman           *"Nanika kuwasero, tonikaku kuwasero, zenbu kuwasero! 
Bridget E. Engman * Demae mo ii ze! Henshin shichau to yubi ga futosugite,
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   uiuc.edu       *   ---Wan Dabada, "Can't Stop Eatin'"